


For It To Mean Something

by ShintaNetagawa



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Galra Keith (Voltron), Hurt Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Whump, M/M, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overstimulation, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tentacle Monsters, sick keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-03-29 17:12:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13931577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShintaNetagawa/pseuds/ShintaNetagawa
Summary: Takes place after the wormhole incident where instead of Shiro being seriously hurt by Haggar's attack it is a minor injury. Keith however has a deep laceration from the impact of the crash landing.With both of them trapped on a seemingly perfect and innocent planet they have a chance to finally talk about their feelings.Let's hope they survive until they get off the planet.(First work I'm posting on a03 and I suck at summaries sorry! I just really wanted to make Keith suffer)





	1. Chapter 1

It was hard to breathe. That was the first thing Keith realized as he slowly opened his eyes. To be fair, he knew he was lucky to be alive; however, none of this would have been an issue if it wasn’t for Haggar. The wormhole got fucked up thanks to the witch and after that he blacked out. He remembers hearing everyone crying out, both in shock and in fear. He… remembers his lion slipping out of the castle and crying out for Shiro. He feels his chest tightening and a wet cough forces itself out of keith’s body.

A crackled voice was heard through the headset in his helmet, louder than his own coughing.  
“-eith! KEITH!” Keith’s eyes narrowed as he gasped for air his body calming down, “Shiro?”  
“Oh thank god…. Keith, are you okay?”  
“I’m… Alive.” Keith muttered softly. He slowly moved his arms around and gently shifted his feet a little, “Sore…but I don’t think it’s anything life threatening.” He could hear Shiro letting out a relieved sigh over the line. It was… nice to know he wasn’t alone. His chances for survival were high with Shiro. If anything, he was lucky. He half wondered if he should treat this as a vacation since the universe decided to dump them out in the middle of nowhere.    
He couldn’t feel the soft hum of his lion that was usually tucked in the back of his head. He tested out her gears, shifting the handles before giving a huff, “Red is out of commission for the time being. It’ll be fine for now, she deserves the rest…”  
“Well I see your coordinates on my screen so just sit tight Keith. I’ll probably be there in an hour. Maybe half if I push it.”  
Keith blinked as he listened to Shiro, “I take it Black is out too?” Keith questioned.  
“Yeah. For now. Nothing seems damaged but that impact probably did something.”  
Keith hummed quietly in response, “Well, just be careful. No need to rush or do anything stupid.”  
“Keith I’m not you."  
“Or Lance.”  
“….Keith.”  
“What? I’m stuck on a planet with zero chance of getting off on my own. At least let me have some fun. We used to tease everyone back when we dated.”  
Shiro blinked before giving a soft chuckle, “So I’ve been demoted huh?”  
Keith’s eyes widened, and he frowned, “Well…” he closes his eyes and bites his lips, “We… aren’t together anymore, right?” It was quiet over the line. Keith would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. He opened his mouth, lips quivering as he dares to call out Shiro’s name.  
“Keith…” The teen in question quickly closed his mouth, thankful that Shiro finally spoke up.  
“Did I change that much?” Shiro’s voice was quiet as his question hung in the air. His tone quiet; full of remorse. Keith’s eyes widened at what Shiro was insinuating, “WHAT? Shiro no, that’s not what I meant.”  
Keith huffed in frustration and unbuckled the harness on his seat, “How far out are you? I can meet you in the middle and we can have a proper-“ His hand stopped as his eyes caught a red tinge on one of the harness straps, “…. the fuck?”  
“Keith?”  
Keith gently touched the strap, rubbing it between his fingers, quickly realizing they became stained in the same sticky color. Blood.  
“I…. I think I’m injured.” Keith muttered as he moves out of his seat. His knees buckle causing him to steady himself against the interior of his lion. He shifts the bloody fabric of his suit around until he finds a tear.

Shiro’s eyes widened as he falters in his running, “Wait I thought you said you were fine?!”  
“My arms were fine and I could move my legs…. I didn’t notice anything else.”  
“Are you bleeding?”  
“Y-yeah. I’ve been bleeding for a while now I guess…. Just haven’t noticed. That fucking sucks.”  
“Keith,” Shiro’s voice came out thick, trying to demand Keith’s attention, “You need to find the emergency aid kit in Red’s overhead cabinet.”  
“Sorry…. I didn’t even feel any pain or wetness while I was sitting.” Keith placed his hand back on the wound, applying pressure as he hobbled over to Red’s storage cabinets. Shiro jumped over a small ridge as he continued running, “Don’t apologize Keith, just worry about yourself.”  
“I know, I know. What does the thing look like?”  
“It’s like a dark, navy blue duffle bag. It’ll be the only duffle bag in there so it shouldn’t be too hard-“  
“Found it.” Keith pulled out the duffle bag and yelped as the weight strained wound.  
“You okay Keith?”  
“M’Fine! It’s heavy as fuck okay? Could have warned me.” Keith let it drop to the floor before gently knelt next to it.  
“It’s not that heavy Keith. I assume you remember proper medical procedures from the garrison before you got yourself kicked out?”  
“How the fuck did you know I-“  
“Lance told me.”  
“Lance doesn’t know fucking shit.” Keith snarled softly as he pulled items from the bag, “He wasn’t there when it happened. All he knows is what those fucking teachers told him!”  
“Okay… Sensitive subject I guess.” Shiro sighed, “I should be there soon okay? If you’ll let me, we can talk face to face about it. Okay? Makes me nervous to know you’re hurt…”  
“….What about you? I didn’t even ask if you were hurt… You did get a blow from Haggar right?”  
“Yeah but I wrapped it up and took care of it almost immediately after the crash. It burns now and then but it’s nothing compared to wounds I’ve had before.”  
“I’m sorry Shiro for-“  
“What did I tell you about apologizing?” Shiro huffed. Keith’s hands were shaky as he removed his suit, assessing his wound. It was long and deep and he was honestly surprised he hadn’t bled out already. He shuddered as he began cleaning the area.  
“Keith I see your lion!” Shiro smiled as he pushed himself to go faster. Keith gave a sigh of relief. He was so ready to take his helmet off. He also was going to need help with dressing his wound. His hands were becoming way to shaky to hold anything. Keith gently pressed his back against the wall and closed his eyes as he did his best to even out his breathing. Despite his tough guy demeanor, he actually couldn’t handle blood. At all. It was something that only Shiro knew and he planned to keep it that way.  
“Keith!” Shiro’s voice wasn’t coming from his helmet this time, but was coming from outside. Keith’s eyes widened and he quickly pushed himself to his knees, “Shiro!” He crawled over to the emergency handle that manually opened a door to the outside and pulled it to release. Keith waited until he heard the large piece of metal hit the ground, creating a steep ramp. He was so relieved to see Shiro running up the ramp. Keith noticed that Shiro removed his helmet which meant the planet they were on had breathable air.

Shiro stepped inside and frowned when he took one look at Keith, “You look just like Red right now.” He knelt next to Keith and gently removed the boy’s helmet. “And you’re really pale… Why didn’t you get your wound patched up already?”  
“Hands are a little shaky… Not sure if that’s from blood loss or the fact that I have to look at it.” Keith muttered as he moves his hands away from his side so Shiro can look at it.  
“Blood still freaks you out?” Shiro asked as he grabs gauze. Keith huffs and looks away, “Of course it does, what kind of question is that.”  
“Of course.” Shiro hummed, “This wound is deep Keith, what on earth struck you?”  
“Something that you wouldn’t find on earth, duh.”  
Shiro makes a small huff of disapproval as he finishes up wrapping Keith’s side, “There. That should do it. Do you have water pouches stored on Red as well?”  
“Yeah of course.”  
“Good.” Shiro stands up and goes over to the cabinets, “It’s important to keep you hydrated and to watch for any signs of going into shock.” He pulls out a few bags of water before returning to Keith’s side, holding one out for him, “Here. Try to drink all of it okay?”  
“Like you need to tell me that. I’m so thirsty.” The younger paladin chuckles as he opens the pouch and starts sipping from it.

Shiro smiles for a brief moment before he walks back out to the opening of the lion, looking outside, “We should consider ourselves lucky. We crashed on a planet that seems to have a similar biome to that of earths rainforest.”  
“You think we’ll get a similar type of malaria then?”  
“Keith.”  
“What? Just asking.” Keith smirks before taking another long sip, “So a rainforest. Thick vegetation.”  
“And vegetation requires water. We may even see some animals or fruit.”  
“We could also be on a planet filled with Galra. We should be careful Shiro.”  
“You’re right we should be careful. However, we’ve been stuck on this planet for a few hours now. If this planet did host Galra then you’d think they would have shown up by now. Not saying we shouldn’t stay alert. But we should also make sure we don’t focus too much on that possibility. We’re in a survival situation.”

Keith watched Shiro as the black paladin spoke. He could see the way the white of his bangs brushed against Shiro’s forehead as a gust of wind pushed against the lion. He could see the way Shiro’s expression relaxed ever so slightly. Keith could feel the wind even from where he was sitting. It felt like home, in a weird way. Keith took a deep breath and sighed in content, “Shiro.”  
The black paladin stopped talking and looked back at Keith, “What is it?”  
“With red down… so is her life support and the ventilation system… It’s a bit warm in here. If it’s safe outside can we sit out there?” Keith finished his pouch of water and sets it down. He knows he should have more but he also wants to make sure they find a reliable source of water before he drinks what they only have.  
Shiro blinks and glances back outside before going over to Keith, “Yeah that’s fine. Nothing seemed to be out there and I had no trouble getting here. Plus, it’ll be better to get some light and a fire going before nightfall.” He gets down on to one knee and gently wraps an arm around keiths good side, “Think you can walk? Or should I carry you?”  
Keith blushes as he looks at the slight teasing smirk that shiro gives him, “I can walk.”  
Shiro hums softly and drapes keiths arm around his shoulder before standing up slowly, making sure to go at Keith’s pace.  
The walk outside felt long and Keith was already feeling fatigued. He was silently grateful to Shiro as he was placed back on the ground, up against his lion’s paw for support.  
The planets sun was close to the horizon. The clouds that were close to the horizon had a deep orange color to them. He brushed his hands against the grass. He couldn’t feel it with his gloves on but he could tell that the grass was thick. They were next to the edge of what he assumed was the ‘rainforest’ that Shiro mentioned. Thick with trees, to the point that sunlight wasn’t getting passed the tops. It was completely black wherever there wasn’t a tree trunk. He feels a little lucky that he seemed to have crashed on the outskirts instead of inside what was essentially a cave of leaves.  
“Keith?”

The red paladin jerks his head towards his companion, finding that a bundle of wood was already placed in a circular trench, “Uh yeah?”  
Shiro blinks, “I was just asking if you thought this was enough wood for tonight?” he gestures his hand behind him and Keith can see a few more, large bundles of wood.  
The sun was lower than what it was before. Keith swallows nervously, “Yeah that should be fine. I’m sorry. I spaced out there for a while.”  
“Yeah I guess!” Shiro chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, “I thought I was having an actual conversation for a while.”  
“Shit- Shiro im sorry.”  
“Hey, Keith it’s okay. It’s been kinda a rough day. It’s understandable.” Shiro goes back over to Keith and sits down next to him, “How are you feeling?”  
Keith shrugs and hovers his hand over his wound, “Hurts honestly. But that’s to be expected right now.”  
“And? Are you too hot? Cold? Itchy or shaky?”  
Keith snorts and playfully shoves at Shiro’s shoulder, “Even if I said yes to any of those things there’s nothing you could do about it. And no, I’m none of those things. Maybe a little tired but otherwise content.”  
Shiro blinks and smiles softly before turning his attention back to the fire, “It’s getting pretty dark quickly. I wonder if this planet has long days or nights.”  
Keith turns back to the sunset that is all but already gone and frowns, “Or the planet spins faster so it just has faster days all together. Depending on the size.” Shiro hums softly and scratches his cheek softly, “Yeah that could be a possibility as well. I guess we won’t know much until we experience it for ourselves.”

Keith glances at Shiro and sighs softly, “Shiro.”  
“Hmm?”  
“I just- “Keith looks down and bites his lip, “We still need to talk.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Shiro takes a sharp intake of breath and nods hesitantly, “Y-yeah. I know-“  
“Do you even love me anymore?” Keith’s words blurted out quick, sharp, as he stared intently at Shiro.  
His head jerked towards Keith, eyes wide, before his gaze softens; a frown forming on his face “Keith of course I do.”  
“Then what happened? Did I change?” Keith sat up a little straighter as he continued to press Shiro for answers.  
“What? No! N-no of course not. Keith, I’m the one who changed.” Shiro looked at the ground, his face grim and slightly red with embarrassment. Keith huffed and placed his hand against Shiro’s cheek, gently pushing Shiro to look at him.  
“Yeah you changed. You grew. You adjusted. You survived. None of what you went through would cause me to no longer love you.”  
“Keith, I killed a lot of innocent people.”  
“And if you didn’t they would have killed you. They wanted to live, just as much as you did, right?”  
“Y-yeah…. I had to live. I wanted to see you again.”  
Keith sighs and frowns, “I was your only reason to live?”  
“Of course. I often thought of you in between battles.”  
“….Then… why? Why didn’t you initiate anything?”  
“You didn’t either.” Shiro shoots back quickly.  
Keith blinked and bit the inside of his cheek as he chose his words carefully, “You just came back from space, and I knew you were going through a lot, and I didn’t want to freak you out by saying something. Then you didn’t approach me at all after that.” Keith’s eyes narrow and he pulled his hand away from Shiro.

  
“Yeah, I was going through a lot at the time, but I was fine after a couple of weeks. You could have approached me after.” Shiro did his best to keep his voice low as he spoke. He could sense Keith’s body tense up as the young paladin began to go on the defensive.  
“I DID. I asked if we could talk a few days ago when we were given that small reprieve to rest before going through with our plans to take down zarkon!” Keith’s tone quickly rose as did his anger, “Do you remember what you told me?! That there were better things to do with my time! How the fuck do you think I was going to feel after hearing that?”  
Shiro blinked, stunned at Keith’s outburst. He should be used to Keith’s firecracker of emotions by now, however they catch him off guard with that raw power they seemed to hold every time. He thinks back to that day briefly, remembering how Keith had quietly approached him, “Keith… I’m so sorry. I had no idea that’s what you wanted to talk about.”

 

Keith could tell Shiro was doing what he could to try to keep Keith calm, and knowing that fact caused Keith’s anger to rise even more, “Is that an explanation or an excuse?! You know what? Don’t even answer that. It doesn’t matter anyway!”  
“It was an explanation Keith! And what on earth do you mean it doesn’t matter?”  
“Shiro it shouldn’t matter what I wanted to talk about that day. If I wanted to talk about Hunk’s constant vomiting you still should ask me before shutting me out! You had your one on one conversations with everyone that day but me. Hell, I heard you even gave the mice some fucking dad trademark speech, but when I ask to talk to you it is suddenly a waste of everyone’s fucking time! Why talk to everyone but me? I thought you hated me and were avoiding me. That you blamed me for what happened to you. Because I encouraged you to sign up for the ker- “ Keith’s eyes widened as Shiro wrapped his arms tightly around him.

  
The last time Keith felt the safety of Shiro’s arms was right before the ill-fated mission that started this whole mess. Keith’s shoulders sagged slightly, and he inhaled deeply, wrapping his own arms around Shiro’s large torso. He closed his eyes and listened to Shiro’s heart beating; fast and loud.  
“Shiro?” Keith whispered as he felt Shiro shudder softly.  
“I’m so sorry Keith. I never meant to make you feel like that.”  
“But you did.”  
“I know….that was not my intention.”  
Keith pulled back from Shiro, his side burning from the strain of the hug, “Intention? What exactly was your intention then?”  
“I…. I didn’t really have any. Honestly, I was just having a bad day and-“  
“So take it out on me. That sounds reasonable.”  
“Keith.”  
“No, please, continue.” Keith leaned back against his lion while keeping his gaze focused on Shiro.  
Shiro rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly as he stared at the ground.  
“The night before I snapped at you… I had a nightmare. I get them a lot, so I normally am used to them. But this one was kinda different. It was…. me… kinda. I mean, it looked exactly like me except crueler. If you could use that as a description… I had yellow eyes and this… sickening smirk and in my nightmare, I killed you. I actually watched this version of me pin you down and strangle you. I watched as the life faded from your eyes. You were begging for me to stop. Calling me by my first name as you cried for me to let go. And I laughed. I laughed as you died. That entire day was fucked up for me because of that dream. Every time I saw you that day I was constantly reminded of my nightmare…”  
Keith frowns and looks at Shiro, his eyebrows furrowing, “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
Shiro snapped his head to look at Keith, almost in shock, “How am I supposed to tell you that I had a dream where I killed you?”  
“Just like that.” Keith shrugs and relaxes, the anger leaving his shoulders, “It would at least give me a proper explanation for your behavior. However, I’m still upset at you for all the other times you could have approached me.”  
“Could you blame me? I’m not the same person I was before Kerberos, so I just figured you wouldn’t like this new Shiro.”  
“You’re not that different from how you were before Kerberos you know. And even if you were, that wouldn’t stop me from loving you.”

Shiro blinks before smiling softly. He reaches out and takes Keith’s hand in to his own, squeezing gently, “Thanks Keith.”  
Keith smiles and returns the gentle squeeze, “No need to thank me Shiro. Now, are we together again or what?”  
“We were never apart to begin with.”  
Keith hums softly and closes his eyes, the sound of the fire crackling was like white noise, and Keith found his nerves starting to calm down. He licked his chapped and split lips as the relief of their talks’ outcome washed over him. Together. They were still together. Keith found himself hoping with this understanding they would both be better at expressing their wants and needs with each other. He finally felt comfortable as he found himself slipping in and out of consciousness.  
“Keith.”  
Said paladin’s eyes fluttered back open and he turns to look at Shiro, “Yeah?”

Shiro frowns as he watches Keith’s exhausted body struggle to stay awake, “You’re sweating a lot.” Shiro mutters as he brushes Keith’s bangs out of his face, “How is your wound? How much water did you drink?”Keith sighs and looks over at his opened pouch. It was the first one they opened, and Keith only took a few sips before they started talking. He knew he needed to drink more water, “Still working on this one.” Keith brings the pouch up to his lips and slowly takes a few more sips. Shiro gets up and heads back over to the lion’s ramp, “I’ll grab more pouches and the first aid kit. I want to take another look at your side.”Keith responds with a hum; the sound barely being picked up by Shiro before the man ran back inside.

He sighs as he takes in the breeze that gently flows against him. The sun all but gone and now stars were blinking in to the sky. A smile tugged against the corners of Keith’s lips as he looks up at the sky. The planet was beginning to cool, and Keith was starting to enjoy the peace it seemed to bring. He had never been somewhere so quiet. Even in his own room on board the castle there was always the energy humming constantly. He could hear the sounds of Shiro’s feet against the metal ramp before it was silenced and replaced with a soft crunching of the soil.  
“Here.”

Keith looked over at Shiro and blinked as he saw the man offering another water pouch. He took the pouch and muttered a soft thanks. Shiro knelt down on Keith’s left side and gingerly lifted his shirt,  unwrapping the gauze.  
“Shiro, you just put that thing on. Does it really need to be changed?”  
“I just want to make sure it is not getting worse. If you start experiencing a fever than it could be a sign of infection.”  
Keith sighs and leans his head back against his lion, “I know…”  Shiro glances up at Keith before going back to the wound, “I know you know. Just humor me alright? Your injury could get a lot worse very easily, so I just would rather be safe than sorry.”

The red paladin grins and chuckles softly causing Shiro to look at him with an incredulous expression.  
“What on earth do you find amusing?”  
“I was just…. thinking about how it’s only been a few hours and already you want to look at it and change the bandage. I was thinking how you need to be patient with some wounds you know? Patience yields focus, and you don’t seem to be that patient.” Keith mutters, yawning softly.  
Shiro keeps staring at Keith before shaking his head and smiling in return, “I can’t be patient when you’re involved.”

Keith keeps his grin plastered on his face as he looks back at Shiro, “Yeah?” He asks, his tone playful as he watches Shiro. The older paladin blushes, his smile growing in to one full of warmth, “Yeah.”  
Keith leans closer to Shiro, tilting his head as he whispers, “Yeah?”  Shiro leans in and presses his lips against Keith’s, loving the way he felt those lips open slightly. An invitation for the kiss to become much more intimate; an invitation that Shiro would never decline. Keith shuddered as he felt Shiro’s tongue in his mouth, his own tongue rubbing against the muscle. He wanted so much more though. To be closer to Shiro’s body. To be stripped of their armor and in the comfort of a private room; bed optional. He felt Shiro push himself more in to Keith as he deepened the kiss, and he couldn’t help but moan softly. Keith tried to arch his back; to press it against Shiro. Upon doing so however his body gave a jerk and he hissed softly, feeling his side sting and burn as it was stretched.  
It was a sudden reaction that he will forever loathe as the kiss was stopped immediately when Shiro pulled away, worry evident on his face, "Keith? Are you-" Shiro pulls back and notices the abandoned wound, "Oh damn it. I'm sorry! Better take care of this first."   
Keith huffed and looked away as Shiro went back to patching him up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be fair this was mostly typed up when I entered chapter 1. Unfortunately I won't have chapters this ready for you guys. hoping to keep a schedule of a chapter every couple of days? Honestly it'll depend on my jobs but I prefer to have proper schedules.


	3. Chapter 3

Eyelashes fluttered and a yawn broke free from Keith’s mouth. He felt warmth radiating off of him and he snuggled deeper against the heat source. He still felt so tired despite the sun already being up. He didn’t remember falling asleep last night: he did remember kissing Shiro though. He felt himself smiling ear to ear and he licked his lips, thinking about how Shiro tasted.  
Opening his eyes, he was greeted with Shiro’s torso. He knew he was wrapped in Shiro’s embrace almost immediately after he had come to but being able to be held like this was something he missed dearly.  
  
He hummed softly before craning his neck to look around his environment. He was, unsurprisingly, laying on top of Shiro; the other laying fully on the ground. That was not going to feel good later. They were both still outside in almost the same spot as they had been last night. The fire long put out sometime during the night.  
He glanced back at the tree line and frowned when he noticed how much thicker the vegetation that surrounded the trees seemed to be in comparison to yesterday. Or….was it? He thought back to yesterday and bit his lip as he thought about the days events, “Shiro said nothing was out here when he made it to my lion…. It looks like there still isn’t anything out here…”  
Shiro moved underneath him before the biceps that kept Keith secure were released, “Mmmnnn are you talking?”  
“Good morning to you too, Shiro.” Keith looked back at Shiro and frowned, “Did you purposefully position me on top of you?”

Shiro blinked a few times to unblur his vision before yawning, “Mmm… yeah. I didn’t want to move you after you fell asleep and there was no way I’d let you sleep on the bare ground.”  
“You should have just woken me up. Your body is gonna hate you later.” Keith gently pushes himself off of Shiro, taking his sitting position against his lion from before. Shiro grunted as he rolled on to his side, then on to his knees, “You were pretty out of it. Like, as soon as we were done kissing and I went back to your side you passed out.”  
Keith blushed, looking down at the grass before looking back at the trees. Shiro followed Keith’s gaze and frowned, “Penny for your thoughts?” He offered quietly, not wanting to break Keith’s focus.  
“Yesterday you said nothing was out here.” Keith whispered the statement. Shiro almost didn’t even catch what Keith had said, “Uh yeah. I did.”  
“There’s still nothing here. Despite the sunny, warm environment and the overgrown foliage there are no birds or whatever kind of creatures this planet ought to have. Isn’t that weird?”  
  
“Maybe? Honestly Keith we don’t know much about this place, so this could be completely natural for this planet.” Shiro could tell Keith didn’t quite believe him. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if he believed himself, but without proper knowledge of the planet they couldn’t really rule anything out.  
Shiro didn’t really want to dwell on the subject either. He was more concerned about finding a source of water. He knew for a fact that Keith wasn’t drinking as much water as he should be, and it was quite obvious that the red paladin was doing his best to ration it. Any other time Shiro would encourage such actions, although at the moment he knew Keith’s body needed the extra water and more sleep, in order to heal. He shifts and looks at Keith with determination, “I’m sure we also spooked any animals around here when you crashed a giant metal lion in to the ground. They are probably hiding.”  
Keith blinked and looked at Shiro, “Uh.. Yeah I guess that would make sense….”  
“Good. Glad you agree. Now, how are you feeling?” Shiro asked as he pressed the back of his human hand against Keith’s forehead. Keith swatted Shiro’s hand away and smiled, “I’m fine Shiro. Still tired but a lot better than yesterday.”  
“Good, “ Shiro would accept that answer for now. Keith did look better than yesterday, “Then I’m going to head out and look for this mysterious water source. There should be some close by. The vines in the forest look like they have an unlimited supply of it.” He chuckled softly as he stood up and began stretching.  
“You’re going alone?” Keith questioned as he watched Shiro.  
“I thought that would be obvious. We need a source of water and you’re not in any condition to come with.”

Keith blinked and pouted as he glanced to the side, “I could.”  
Shiro shook his head, “No. Absolutely not. I am not risking it. Just relax and keep your helmet close so I can talk to you okay?”  
Keith sighs and looks at Shiro, “Left my helmet in Red.”  
“I’ll get it for you. How are you on water?”  
“M’Fine. I still have the ones you gave me.” Keith grabbed one and shook it to show Shiro.  
Shiro frowns and rests his hand on his hip, “Still? You should really be drinking more water.”  
“I will.”  
The look Shiro gives Keith before he walks back to the lion says that he doesn’t believe him, and Keith can’t blame him.  
Keith’s survival habits had never been a secret to anyone. They weren’t ideal, especially when there were more people involved. Keith would always make sure everyone else, along with the supplies, were in good standing before he would ever tend to his own needs.  
And that’s what made Shiro nervous. The sooner he found an adequate water source the sooner Keith would feel okay with drinking more water.  
He glanced over at the pilot seat while he grabbed the red helmet, curious as to how Keith obtained his injury. Nothing in the lion appeared damaged that you could tell and everything was properly intact which would mean that debris from either the battle or the impact of the crash would have to be ruled out. He walked over to the chair and looked around, his eyes quickly catching the sight of discoloration on the belt straps that secured the paladins to their seats. Kneeling down, Shiro reached out and grabbed the strap. It was clear to see that the brown stain was dried blood, keith's blood, and it was a large stain. "Could the belt itself do this? It honestly shouldn't be able to but... I'll ask Allura and Coran about it when we get back to the castle." He gets up and heads back outside.  
  
Keith looks at Shiro and smiles, "You were in there for a while. Get lost?"  
Shiro shakes his head and kneels back down next to Keith, "Sorry. I was just trying to figure out how you got your injury. Was hoping I'd find something that would clue us in."  
Keith blinks and shrugs, "It doesn't really matter now. What's done is done."  
"It DOES matter Keith. If it was something faulty in your lion then it should get fixed so we can avoid worse injuries in the future. Especially if it's not just your lion and it affects the others too." Shiro's voice was stern as he spoke, contrary to his gentle actions of raising Keith's shirt to check on the wound.    
Keith bites his lower lip as he feels Shiro pry the gauze off, "How many times are you going to check my side? We should really be careful about our supplies."  
"Keith, don't worry about our supplies for now. I'll be gone for a while so I just want to make sure it's okay before I head out." Shiro glances up to meet Keith's eyes, "Let me just take care of you for now, okay?" Keith feels his face heat up and he quickly looks away, hesitantly picking up a new water pouch, "Yeah, yeah okay, for now." He mutters softly before sipping his water. His eyes dart back over to the tree line as he does his best to ignore Shiro and the worried look on his face.   
"It doesn't look inflamed but..." Shiro starts off quietly as he sits up, "It's all purple. Like it's starting to form a nasty bruise. How do you feel?"   
Keith looks down at the fresh bandaging and shrugs, "It hurts, don't get me wrong, but it's not the kind of sore hurting that you'd feel with a bruise." He looks up at Shiro and frowns as he sees the uneasy expression on the man's face, "Hey, Shiro, it's okay. It's just bruising. Happens with injuries sometimes. I'm sure by the end of the day it'll be a fun rainbow of colors. A hematoma will be fun to show off for a few days."  
"Keith don't joke about hematoma's, they can be very serious."  
"They're just extreme bruises. Nothing to worry about. Now, get out of here while you still have sunlight. I'll let you know if I need you, okay?" He smiles at Shiro and holds out his hand towards his helmet.   
Shiro leans forward and presses his lips against Keith's forehead, earning a surprised gasp from Keith, "I'll see you in a little bit." Shiro whispers before pulling away, smiling as he looks at Keith's bright red cheeks and wide eyes.  
"That's so unfair Shiro." Keith mutters, snatching his helmet from Shiro's grasp and shoving it on, "Be safe okay?"  
Shiro nods and stands up, securing his helmet on, "Don't have to tell me twice." Shiro states as he smiles down at Keith. He gives a small wave before walking off in search of resources.  
  
Keith watched him leave, silently thankful that Shiro was not going near the thick forest. Despite the reassurance and the logical facts as to why there were no sightings of animals in the area Keith's instincts were in overdrive and he was willing to bet that the dark forest no mere than a few yards away was the reason for it. His eyes and thoughts had been constantly drawn to it as if there was something hiding inside it, watching him. The very idea gave Keith goosebumps and it took everything in him to will the nausea of possibly being right away. He felt around for the bayard and sighs in relief when he feels it still on his person. Having it with him releases some tension in his shoulders as it was a lot better of a weapon than his small knife.  
He leans his head back against his lion and stares at the sky, his eyes scanning for anything flying around. "Not even in the sky. It's like this whole area is a danger zone." Keith mutters softly as he shoves his helmet on. He hears the sound of branches groaning from being put under a lot of strain and he looks back at the forest. He doesn't see anything. He physically can't see. Not with the thick vines that seem to over take the planets trees.   
  
'Almost like an overgrown weed.' Keith thinks dryly. His head was starting to throb as it usually did when his body was too wound up. He tries to close his eyes and relax his mind, using the breathing technique that Shiro had taught him years ago.   
It usually worked, helped him calm down and kept his cool when his anger was too much to handle alone. It stopped working after the news came out about the piloting error, about Shiro and the Holts.   
After that trying to use the technique made him think of Shiro and the pain Keith felt in his chest made everything worse. So he stopped. Stopped until Shiro came back.   
Keith could feel himself starting to release some of the tension, the strain he was putting on his jaw from clenching it was lessening. He just had to wait until Shiro came back.   
  
Keith half entertained the thought of going back in to Red. She may be down but with an open hatch he could get a decent amount of airflow and he would be in a much safer area. The only drawback would be the strain it would put on his injury. If there was nothing out there and he was just being paranoid then he would possibly make his side worse for nothing. He didn't want to become more dead weight than he already was.   
Keith took another deep breath of air and held it briefly before slowly exhaling, hoping to soon be rid of his headache.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this chapter is done. Phew. Soon we'll get to the good stuff! Haha wanted to get this out earlier but got held up at work for a few extra hours more than what I'm used to!


	4. Chapter 4

The sun was a magnificent bright orange as it set, turning the clouds several shades of pink and red. It was already disappearing behind the horizon and Keith swore the further it dipped, the angrier the colors it left behind seemed. He could never break his gaze from the scene unfolding before him no matter how many times he watched it. He always loved sunsets more than sunrises.   
He loved the way the sky became a canvas for the sun which then would quickly give way to the night sky. A whole new piece of cosmic art that could only be experienced by those who lived far away from civilization.   
In the years before Keith would stay up every night and sit on the roof of the old shack, pretending that he lived on one of the millions of stars.   
Back then anywhere was better than where he had been in his life.   
However, sitting up here tonight, and for the past couple of years, was a complete one eighty from what it used to be. Instead of being huddled on the roof alone with a small blanket, he now sat with Shiro, a cooler full of snacks and soda, and an overly large blanket that shared the same cologne that Shiro used.  
They would hang out after class until the sun began to set, then they would head back to the little house to watch the sky until neither of them could stay awake.  
“-So then Matt asked Garret if he really liked Sarah. And of course, Garret said no even though it’s really obvious that he does.” Shiro prattled on about his lunch time, moving his hands along with his story. Keith, honestly, was not paying attention to the story. His eyes were focused on the sky. He could see the white swirls of their milky way so easily tonight. The whole sky seemed to be more alive at this moment than he had ever seen it before. His stomach twisting in on itself, his hands were clammy, and his mouth was dry. He felt extra weight suddenly clamp down on his shoulder and he jerked his gaze away from the stars to look at Shiro.   
He looked worried and Keith quickly realized he was still talking, “-alright?”  
Keith blinked before frowning, “I’m sorry, I was spacing out there. What did you say?”  
“Keith, I asked if you were okay. Are you? You’ve been like this since morning.” The sentence felt heavy out of Shiro’s mouth and Keith curled tighter in the thick, feather blanket.  
“Sorry… I just… I know I was really excited about you getting accepted earlier this week. Now… I mean I’m still excited, don’t get me wrong. But….” Keith’s voice became quiet and he stared at their hands, Shiro’s laying on top of Keith’s, “I’m going to miss you so much.”  
Shiro picks up Keith’s hand and brings it to his lips, “I’m going to miss you too…. I’ll be back though. The year will go fast, you’ll see. And I have a few months before the mission. So, for now, let’s just make as many memories as we can. So that I can take them with me.” He smiles and presses his lips against Keith’s knuckles.  
The smile that appears on Keith’s face is unavoidable, his actions are automatic and catch Shiro by surprise as he leans in to Shiro’s space, placing his lips on the older teen.  
  
The shock from Shiro doesn’t last long. Not when he can feel Keith straddle his lap, his head tilting to deepen the kiss, and the arms that go over his shoulders.   
Shiro shudders and groans softly in his throat, grabbing Keith’s hips and pulling them closer, grinding into Keith’s groin.  
“-Mmmmnn~ Takashi.” Keith mutters softly while he breaks the kiss, “I want to make memories with you too. I want you to have reminders of me while you’re gone.”  
“Matt’s gonna tease me ya’ know. If he sees what you did to me, I’ll never hear the end of it.” Shiro nuzzles his face in to Keith’s collarbone. Keith chuckles and sneaks his hand under Shiro’s shirt, pulling it up enough to remove it, “If he does then just ask him if he’s jealous that you got laid and he didn’t before being stuck with two other guys in space for a whole year.”  
“He has a few months.” Shiro mutters softly.  
“He’s doomed to be the only virgin.” Keith smirks as he runs his hand through Shiro’s hair.   
“Keith.” Shiro let out a small sigh, loving the way his lover’s finger nails gently scratched at his scalp. He trailed his right hand from Keith’s hip to the front of the boy’s denim jeans.   
He could feel the sharp intake of air from Keith as he slipped his hand under the waist band of both the jeans and his boxers.   
In this position his movements are a little uncoordinated and he knows if they don’t arrange themselves differently soon he’ll form a cramp in his arm. He can’t bring himself to do it though. His head in Keith’s collarbone allows him to easily suck and nip at the pale skin as he listens to the sounds coming from Keith.  
“MmmNNNg- Shiro~” Keith’s arms tighten around Shiro’s neck as he gasps and moans softly.  
Keith closed his eyes tightly as he focuses on the pressure building in his groin with every stroke. Feeling Shiro’s hand start at the base before dragging up to the head, making sure to give Keith’s frenulum a gentle, circular rub with his thumb before stroking back down to the base.   
“Fuck- Shiro! Faster~ you go to- nnng to slow.”   
Shiro chuckles and stays at his current pace, “I love hearing you come undone.” He whispers.  
Keith gives a guttural whine, “Fucking tease. Fuck Shiro!” Keith can’t help it when his hips jerk in to Shiro’s hand.  
Shiro’s pace increases and he smirks listening to Keith’s frantic gasping, “Fuck Keith. You’re so hot. Fuck my fist, Keith.”  
“NNNggg-God Shiro! Shiro feels so good!” Keith cries out, feeling Shiro’s hand close tighter around his cock with each stroke.  
  
“Shiro- So close! So goo-“ Keith was cut off as he felt himself being pushed roughly, his back making a heavy thud against the roof. He blinks in confusion as he quickly notices Shiro’s tense expression.   
“Takashi?” Keith questions.   
Shiro’s eyes widen in fear as he stares at the teen under him, “Keith!”   
Keith gasps and squirms as he realizes that his dick was still being fondled. He tries to get back up, but he can’t move. Shiro’s hands are squeezing his shoulders, keeping Keith in place, “Keith answer me!”  
Keith could taste bile in the back of his throat as he starts struggling against Shiro’s hold, panicking as the caressing touch begins to become an aggressive jerking motion, “Shiro! What’s going on?! Let- Let me go!” He cries out, kicking his legs and flailing about.  
“KEITH!” Shiro all but screamed Keith’s name in desperation despite him sounding like he was farther away.  
  
Keith’s eyes snapped open and he gasps, his eyes quickly landing on his helmet that seemed discarded a few feet away. He could hear Shiro screaming for him through the headset but before he could question it, the familiar touch he had during his dream made his thoughts come to a screeching halt. He yelped and bolted up in to a sitting position, almost freezing as his eyes land on a green, thick vine that had itself curled inside Keith’s suit.  
“FUCKING SHIT!” Keith curses loudly as he grabs the vine and yanks on it hopelessly, the vine barely moving. He grabs his bayard and swings his sword, slicing the vine through.   
  
The creature somehow made a high pitch shrill as it retreated back in to the thick darkness of the forest. Keith stared at the forest, not even blinking as he kept a death grip on his sword, his body shaking violently as the realization of what had happened hits him.  
He hears Shiro again and carefully backs up to where his helmet is, never breaking eye contact with the tree line.  
Keith grabs his helmet and shoves it on, “Shiro.”  
“Oh thank god! Keith, are you okay?! What happened? What’s goi-“  
“How far out are you?” Keith quickly cuts Shiro off, the fear evident as his voice shook.  
“10 minutes I think. Keith are you-“ Shiro was cut off again by a growl from Keith.  
“I’m FINE. I think- fuck, Shiro, I knew there was something wrong here!” Keith hissed as he pushed himself to his feet.  
“What attacked you?”  
“I have no fucking idea Shiro. It was- fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck it. Shiro, I’m going in the red lion and I’m closing the hatch until you get here. It’s still alive but I think I injured it and it retreated back in to the forest.”  
“Slithered?”  
“I don’t want to talk about it now. I’d rather wait until you get here.”  
“…Okay. Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Stay safe.”  
“You too.” Keith climbed in to the safety of his lion, quickly closing the hatch. He shuddered and glanced down at his crotch, his dick hard, the fabric wet, and his overall state uncomfortable. He stumbles to the back of his lion and leans against the wall before checking his side. The gauze and bandages were stained with bright, fresh blood. He hissed softly, leaning his head back against the wall, closing his eyes tightly while carefully peeling the bandages off. He opened his wound back up and quite possibly made it worse in his haste to rid himself of his attacker.   
He should have just climbed back inside once Shiro left. Every nerve in his body was shot and he ran his fingers through his hair, tugging gently at the roots, “Shiro…”  
It was quiet for a moment before Shiro’s voice came through, “Yeah?”  
“…How long have you been gone?”  
“Well… to be honest it didn’t feel like I have been out all day but I left after the sun rose and now it is on the other side of the sky. Like… our 4pm-ish?”   
“Wish we had a fucking clock….”  
“This planet, at the very least, has shorter days.”  
“I… fell asleep. I was dreaming about… us.”  
“Yeah I kinda figured.”   
Keith picked up on the sheepish tone in Shiro’s voice and he sighed, his cheeks turning slightly red, “Well… that part didn’t happen until near the end. But the part I’m talking about was the roof. How many times had we been up there?”  
“Too many to count. You dreamt of us on your roof?”  
“I… it was when we were up there, and you said you wanted to make memories of us. It was months before the actual mission, but I remember that night. It was special.”  
“I know. I remember.” Shiro stated quietly.  
Keith blinks and grins, “Do you really? Or are you trying to make me feel better?”  
“I do!” Shiro huffs, “You told me that you wanted to make memories too. And then you made fun of Matt being a virgin.”  
Keith let out a soft sigh in relief. He bit his lower lip once he pulled the rest of his bandages off and let them plop to the ground, “And it worked.”  
Once again it was quiet on Shiro’s end. An eerie silence that seemed far louder than what it should be.  
“Shiro?”  
“Yeah?”  
“You got quiet on me.”  
“Yeah, sorry. Everything is fine. Believe it or not but I constantly thought of that night while I was gone.”  
“The sex was that good?” Keith joked as he let out a small chuckle.   
“Keith!” Shiro’s voice shook and the other paladin could practically feel the embarrassment radiated from the helmet.  
Shiro cleared his throat before continuing, “Yes it was but it wasn’t just the sex okay? I mean, we fucked a lot.”  
“Yeah, but that night was better than the others. Think it was because we were on the roof? I think that was the first and only time we had roof sex…”  
“Keith.”  
“Sorry…. Still dealing with… what just happened.”  
“Well… Just hold on tight okay? I’ll be there soon.”  
“I know. I’ll be waiting.” Keith waited until Shiro’s end became quiet before removing his helmet and placing it next to him. He shifts slightly and glances down at his wound to inspect whatever damage he did.   
Luckily it didn’t look like the actual cut became any bigger, however the skin around it had raised and became puffy and red. The purple bruising seemed to spread further around the wound. He winced slightly, watching a light stream of fresh blood beginning to pool underneath him.   
He shut his eyes tightly and growled as he thought back to the attack. The whole day even. If he had just gone inside his fucking lion. He rubbed his face and groaned loudly before turning into a rage induced howl.   
“Oh my fucking god this is so stupid...” He gave another loud groan before leaning his head back against the wall.   
He was so fucking done with this planet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh boy. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Cuz keith certainly isn't.


	5. Chapter 5

The wait for Shiro felt like hours. Maybe even days.   
Rationally, Keith knew it was probably no more then a few minutes, but he didn’t want to think rationally at the moment.   
He didn’t want to think at all, if he was being completely honest. The water rations they had contained plenty of vitamins and minerals to stave off hunger, but it wasn’t a source of food.   
He wishes he knew how much time they have spent on this planet. He could feel a gnawing sensation in his stomach, rumbling as his body began to adjust to the lack of food.   
He didn’t want to think about it right now. Not when he knows Shiro has not taken any water rations for himself. Not when he had spent the whole day outside looking for resources without help, knowing that if he did find anything he’d have to come all the way back to Keith and somehow get them both to the location.  
Keith groans softly at the thought and brings his knees up to his chest. He kept his eyes closed, trying to keep himself steady as his head continued pounding.   
When did his head even start hurting?   
He shuddered and numbly rubbed his forehead against his knees, wiping the sweat off his brow to keep his bangs from sticking to his skin.

“Keith! I’m here! Can you please open the hatch?”

Keith gasped softly and jerked his head to look at the closed hatch, Shiro’s voice sounded so loud despite being on the other side.   
Pushing himself on to his feet felt nearly impossible as he quickly became aware of how unsteady and weak his body had become, “I’m coming.” Keith muttered under his breath as he took careful, and calculated steps.   
He kept his eyes on the ground as the slow walk to the hatch began to become too much.  
  
“Keith? You in there?” Shiro called out again, his pitch slightly higher than normal. Keith grabbed the handle and gave it a push with every ounce of strength he had left. He heard a soft gasp from Shiro as his vision blurred before strong arms surrounded him, “Woah there Keith, I got you.”   
Shiro gently lifted Keith in to his arms, “Oh god it’s hot in here.”   
Keith groaned as a cool breeze hits him and he shudders. It feels so good and yet all he can think about is snuggling in to Shiro’s warmth even further, “Shiro… not safe…”  
“Keith, you’re burning up.” Shiro was speaking quietly, keeping his voice at a whisper.  
If it weren’t for the fact that they were in the small space between safety and danger, Keith would have appreciated that, however all he wanted to do was get back in and close the hatch.  
“Shiro…” He whined softly, gently struggling in the man’s hold, “Inside….”

“Okay, okay hang on. Only for a bit though okay? We can’t stay in here all night.”  
“…night?”  
“Yeah it got dark out already.” Shiro gets himself and Keith inside before closing the hatch. He moves Keith back to the wall and activates his Galra arm, using it as a source of light to examine his boyfriend.  
“You’re sick Keith.”  
“I figured that’s why I have this migraine.”  
“…how many packs of water did you drink?”   
“….2?” Keith guessed as he tries to think about it.  
He can practically hear Shiro’s brain going in to overdrive as the man gives a loud huff, “Well that would cause a headache more than being sick. Keith, you have to be drinking more water right now! Your body is going to be using a lot while it tries to heal.”  
“How much water have you had Shiro?”  
“This isn’t about me Keith. I know what my body needs so don’t worry about me.” Shiro’s tone was getting tense as he lifted Keith’s left arm, “Keith.”  
“Mmm?” Keith hummed softly, his eyes closing as his body began to relax now that Shiro was with him.  
“You took your wraps off.”  
“Mmmyeah…. They got soaked in blood, so they were useless.” The statement that Keith gave caused Shiro’s eye to start twitching.  
“Keith… You have a headache from lack of water, and you are sick because your side is now infected…”  
  
Keith’s eyes fluttered open and he looks at Shiro, “Is it?”   
The look Shiro gave Keith was full of exasperation, “Did you even take a look at it? And I… I hate to say it, but this bruise is… I am not officially sure this is a bruise anymore. Not unless your injury is your entire back and abdomen. It’s almost connected on the right side of your body.”  
Keith blinks and looks down at himself, pushing his fabric suit around, following the tear as he examines his stomach, “Oh damn. Yeah that’s not pretty.”   
Shiro sighs and looks around the lion, “Did we leave everything outside? I don’t see it in here.” Keith nods, “I think so. I know for a fact that the water got left out there.” Shiro was quiet before getting back on to his feet, “I’m going to grab them real quick.”   
Keith nearly gives himself vertigo as he jumps on to his feet, the sickness he was feeling before pushed to the back of his mind as he grabs on to Shiro’s shoulder, “You can’t go out there!”  
Shiro blinks and frowns as he takes in Keith’s feverish face, “Keith, you need those supplies. I’ll run out and grab them, then I’ll come right back in, okay?”  
“No, Shiro, it’s still out there!”  
“Keith I don’t even know what ‘it’ is yet. I do know, however, that nothing was out there when I came back.”  
“Do you know those dumb comics that Lance reads a lot?”  
“…the… the ones with porn in it?” the question almost didn’t reach Shiro’s lips as he thinks back to Lance casually reading about a mermaid that got captured by an octopus. He didn’t want to keep thinking about it. He saw Keith nod, feeling the grip on his shoulder tighten, “Yeah. Those vines that cover the trees in that forest? That’s what it is. That’s what attacked me. It was fucking disgusting. I don’t want you back out there.”  
“Keith… I understand that you’re upset, and what happened was pretty terrifying, but you need water, at least humor me tonight okay? We’ll leave in the morning.” Shiro promised as he removed Keith’s hand from his shoulder.   
“Leave? Did you find water?” Keith looks hopeful and he allows Shiro to gently guide him back in to a sitting position against the wall.   
  
“Yeah. A large river, some animals, and not far was a village.” Shiro smiled as he brushed Keith’s bangs out of the boy’s face.   
Keith’s eyes widened, “A village?!”   
“Yeah. They seemed pretty friendly and even agreed to help us out. I was on my way back here to get you. I’m sorry I wasn’t any faster.” Shiro pressed his forehead against Keith’s, earning a soft hum from the other paladin. Keith bit his lower lip before pulling away from Shiro, “Okay… Get what you can and come right back inside. We’ll leave as soon as the sun begins to rise.”  
Shiro nods and stands back up before walking back over to the hatch. He slowly opens the door and hurries over to where they had been sitting and starts collecting the packs. His eyes glance over to the tree line as he digests what Keith had been telling him. The vines that clung to the trees were still and almost lifeless and it was hard to believe that these things were really what attacked Keith.   
Whether they really had attacked Keith, or if it was some dream he hallucinated when he became sick, it didn’t matter to Shiro. Keith was injured, sick, and now terrified, and Shiro wasn’t going to dismiss Keith’s feelings nor was he going to tell Keith that he didn’t believe him. He was just thankful that he did in fact find a safe place for them so that Keith can start taking care of himself like he should have been.   
  
The village appeared primitive when it came to technology, but they definitely had a deep connection with their planet and the other inhabitants. Which, as Shiro learned, there were two more villages and the rest of the planets population was animals. He had so many more questions for them but just knowing they offered their services to help him and Keith was good enough for him. He knew he would get his questions answered.  
  
Shiro finished gathering the water and the first aid kit before heading back inside the lion, closing the hatch behind him. He honestly would have preferred to leave it open to keep the moist, warm air at bay, but he knew it would only cause Keith more anxiety.  He walks back over to him and kneels down, “Keith?” Shiro whispers, placing the items down next to him before pressing his hand against Keith’s forehead, “Did you fall asleep again?”   
He wished he could let Keith sleep, but he wanted him to drink water first, after that Keith could sleep until morning.   
Shiro fumbled around for a pouch, feeling for the opening, and carefully tearing the seal off, “Keith, wake up for a bit. You need to drink this first.” He used his foot to gently nudge Keith’s leg until he finally got a soft groan from the boy, “Shiro…five more minutes.”  
“Nope. Open your eyes.” Shiro ordered as he held the pouch up to Keith’s lips.  
Keith sighs and opens his eyes just enough to squint. He notices the pouch and takes it from Shiro’s hand before gulping down the contents.   
  
It almost burns his throat going down, but it isn’t enough of a discomfort from stopping. The feeling of cool water going in to his empty stomach only cause him to realize just how thirsty he was.   
Keith saw Shiro hold out another for him and he refused to take it, looking up at Shiro, “Not until you have one too.”  
“Keith-“  
“Shiro, I just can’t. You know I can’t. Not without knowing that you’re okay too. Please. If you want me to drink more water I will. Just, please, have one yourself.” Keith pleaded, gently pushing Shiro’s hand that has the pouch away from him.   
Shiro studies Keith for a brief moment, nodding in resignation, “Alright, I’ll drink this one. Then I want you to drink the next one while I do what I can with your side. Deal?”  
Keith nods, the guilt easing in his chest, “Deal.” And it continued to ease as he watched Shiro slowly drink, watching the way his throat bobbed slightly with every gulp.   
Shiro quickly finished off the water, grabbing a new one for Keith whom took it before Shiro could even open it.   
He looked up at Keith and saw him point at the bandages.  
“The sooner you patch me up, the sooner we can get some sleep, right?” Keith’s question sounded more like a statement as he tore in to the foil pouch. Shiro nods and reaches for the kit, “Yeah. Sorry, just wasn’t expecting for you to bounce back from how you were a bit ago.”  
“I’m not better if that’s what you’re thinking. The water helped a lot, don’t get me wrong. Head doesn’t hurt nearly as much thankfully but moving right now is almost as painful as watching Lance flirt.”  
Shiro snorts softly as he starts working on Keith’s injury, “You know, you should really lay off the insults with Lance.”  
“Yeah, I know. We’re a team so we have to play nice. I get it.”   
“Well… yes. That is true, but that’s not what I was implying.” Shiro gently applies gauze, eyes flicking up to meet Keith’s.  
“….What do you mean?” Keith asks, sipping from the pouch.  
“Well I know for a while now a lot of people saw you two constantly arguing and asked us if you guys were dating.” Shiro finished his statement calmly while he waited for Keith to immediately deny those accusations.   
It was quiet while Shiro finished up wrapping the wound, so he put the box away and looked up at Keith, “Did you hear what I said?”  
“Yeah, I heard you.” Keith muttered softly, “I’ve thought about it.”  
Shiro’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, “I’m sorry-but what?” Keith blinks and the tips of his ears turn red before he looks away, “Well you weren’t talking to me. So… yeah. I thought when I finally got a chance to figure out if we were a thing or not I’d talk to Lance.”  
“Keith, Lance is straight.”  
“No, actually he’s bi…. Or pan. Kinda gets confusing honestly when half the things he hits on don’t really look like they have a gender.” Keith frowns and reaches out to pull Shiro close to him, “But… it was only in case you didn’t love me anymore. I’d never want to do anything to cause you pain Shiro.” Keith mumbled, yawning near the end of the sentence.   
Shiro sighed and smiled, “Then I guess I’m lucky that it’s impossible for me to not love you.” He scoots around and back until he’s up against the wall and next to Keith, “Go to bed. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to head out okay?”  
“Mmmn.” Keith nods against Shiro’s arm before drifting off in to a heavy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhaaaaaa not gonna lie. this was a struggle. Not sure why but I'll just deal. It's literally just getting things ready for the walk to the village where keith can finally get some proper help.


	6. Chapter 6

The warmth he felt kept him from fully waking up. He felt being nudged. Heard Shiro’s deep voice. The man’s soft chuckling.   
He didn’t want to wake up. He was still so tired.

“Keith, come on baby. Rise and shine.”

His eyes fluttered, and he groaned softly, shifting his sore legs, “Mmm?” He muttered softly.   
He was currently straddling Shiro’s thighs, his arms dangling at his side, his face pressed into Shiro’s neck.

Not a bad way to wake up honestly. He’s awaken to much worse things in the past. Although, he could have sworn that he did not fall asleep like this. He took a deep inhale through his nose in order to take in as much of Shiro’s smell as he could. He nuzzled deeper and made a soft hum sound, scooting closer to the warmth that held him so gently.

“Keith, seriously, we should get going.” Despite his words, Shiro’s tone was soft and almost submissive. Keith grumbles softly before pulling away a few inches, giving Shiro a chaste kiss on the lips before yawning loudly.   
“MMmmmm…. Shiro did you move me?”  
“You kept twitching and talking in your sleep until I placed you in my lap. Sorry if that was weird. I just wanted to make sure your body was able to rest.”  
“It’s not weird… It’s thoughtful. What about you though? Wasn’t this uncomfortable for you?”  
Shiro smiles and cups Keith’s left cheek, “I got to hold you while you slept. Best sleep I ever got.”  
Keith snorts and smiles, “Highly doubt that. You owned a sleep number.”  
“Yeah but then I found how pointless it was after I learned that you were my number.”   
“Oh my god you are still the cheesiest morning person.” Keith teases as he shifts his weight from leg to leg before pushing himself up, “Aaaaaand my legs are waking up.” He hisses softly under his breath and starts stretching the to get the blood flowing. Shiro blinks and frowns, standing up as well, “Fuzzy sensation or porcupine?”  
“Porcupine. Always fucking porcupine.” Keith answers briefly before jogging in place. Shiro watches as Keith shakes his right leg before putting his weight back on it, “Let me look at your side before we head out okay?”  
“Yeah. Was waiting for you to suggest that.” Keith grabs at the fabric and shifts it enough so that the bandaging is visible, “Honestly this stupid material is so hard to deal with right now and it is already torn, can’t I just tear the rest of this and make this one-piece nightmare in to a shirt with pants?”   
Shiro sighs softly and kneels in front of Keith, his hands already making quick work of the bandages, “Let’s wait until we get to the village okay?” Shiro’s reply is laced with concern as he examines Keith’s body. The wound itself looked swollen and angry however the size of it appeared smaller if slightly than before. Shiro’s gaze wasn’t on the gash though. It was on the purple that blemished Keith’s skin. He shifted the fabric around, using the tear to get a better look at the back, front and higher up Keith’s side. Shiro wraps the wound back up and stands back up, quickly noting Keith’s curious expression.  
“You sure were moving the hole around. Still bruising that badly?” Keith asks he looks down at his side. Shiro bites his lower lip before running his hand through his hair, placing his other hand on his hip, “Not gonna lie Keith, and I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t think that’s a bruise. It keeps spreading and if you did sustain an injury that caused such a large bruise than your gash should be much bigger too.”  
“…How-…. How big is it right now?”  
“Honestly, I can’t tell right now. We’d have to completely undress you. I just know that it is covering a much larger area than last night. I could at least see your pale skin but no matter where I move the suit I only see purple.” Shiro watched Keith’s eyebrows furrow as he took in this information. Watched as his boyfriend turned around and walked over to the hatch.  
“We should get going. Maybe it’s some weird alien infection that I got since I have an open wound here. The people at this village should know right? Sooner we get there the better.” Keith’s body trembled slightly as he spoke, trying his best to keep his voice steady and confident.   
Shiro frowned as he noticed Keith’s demeanor, “Yeah. Let me grab the last of these pouches and we can go.”   
“Kay…” The soft reply almost fell on deaf ears as Shiro stood back up and walked over to Keith.  
“Keith, let me go out first. Just in case okay?” Shiro suggested as he stepped in between him and the hatch, “I’ll feel better if I just make sure the coast is clear.”   
Keith nervously swallows, his tongue licking his lips before nodding, “Yeah. Yeah that’s actually a good idea…” He backs up and makes room for Shiro to open the hatch.  
  
As soon as Shiro opened the hatch Keith felt the tension in his shoulders ease as a gust of fresh air blew in, and it made Keith painfully aware just how hot and stale the air inside the lion became. He stayed back as Shiro stepped out and he felt his skin itch, watching him step on to the grass.  
“Nothing seems to be out here Keith. Let’s go. Get your helmet.” Shiro ordered as he put his own helmet on.  
Keith bit his lower lip and shoved his helmet on before running down the ramp. His eyes immediately darted to the forest, scanning the tree line for any moving vines. Nothing.   
“You ready?” Shiro’s question snapped Keith’s attention back to him and he nods, “Yeah of course. Let’s get going!”   
Keith followed closely behind Shiro as they headed towards the sun as it rises. The air was crisp, and the breeze was gentle, “You know, if it weren’t for the threat of that monster this wouldn’t be so bad.” Keith mused quietly.  
“You’ll change your mind half way through this trek. It’ll be a while.” Shiro looked back at Keith and smiled.  
Keith grins and crosses his arms, “Maybe we should do something to pass the time then? Like… talk maybe?”  
“About what?”  
“I don’t know. What did we used to talk about?” Keith already knew the answer to his question, but he asked anyway.   
Shiro rubs the back of his head, looking ahead of him as he keeps walking, “From what I can remember we seemed to gossip about the other students quite a bit. Either that or we’d talk about what we’d do when we got older.”  
“Will we still do all that?”  
“Do what?”  
“You and I both agreed that we’d clean up the shack and make it ours and live together. Maybe get a dog. Two if I beg you enough.”   
“Keith….” Shiro frowns and looks back at the other paladin, “As much as I would love to do that you know I can’t.” He watched as Keith nodded his head, “Yeah I know. I kinda figured. But I still needed to hear it.”  
“I can’t go back to earth at all. Once this is all over I’m sure the others will go back home, and I’ll hang around the castle or maybe pick a planet that seemed nice and stay there.”  
“And I’ll be right there with you Shiro. You know that, right?”  
Shiro smiles softly and grasps Keith’s hand, interlacing their fingers, “We were always each other’s home.”   
Keith smiles and gives Shiro’s hand a small squeeze, “Good thing too. Makes moving a lot easier.”  
They both walk in silence, Shiro keeping his eyes ahead of him, following the mental map he had while Keith constantly scanned their surroundings. He didn’t bother keeping his focus on the path as long as Shiro guided him, gently tugging him in the right direction if it slightly changed.   


After a long while the sun began to peak in the sky and the silence was beginning to be too much for Keith. They were long past the forest and the vines were no where to be seen. The grass that covered the ground had faded to a rockier terrain and for the first time something caught Keith’s attention. A loud shrill rang above him and when he jerked his head towards the sky he gasped softly, seeing several birds swooping around.  
  
“Shiro! Look! Actual fucking animals!” Keith stopped walking and tugged Shiro’s arm to get him to stop walking as well.  Shiro looked up and smiled, “Yeah I see them. Come on, we gotta keep moving. You’ll see plenty more animals as we get closer to the village.”  
“Finally some god damn creatures. I was about to think this planet didn’t have any.” The statement Keith made was followed by a soft chuckle as he started walking again.   
Shiro kept at his pace, tightening his grip on Keith’s hand, “I’m gonna warn you, these rocks turn in to boulders pretty soon that we’ll have to climb down from. Be careful okay?”  
“You seriously followed a bunch of rocks and left the grassy areas for water?”  
“What I was heading for was that.” Shiro pointed straight ahead of them. Keith followed Shiro’s finger and looked out as far as he could.   
In the distance was what looked to be a large mountain, although tiny from their current perspective.  
“A mountain?” Keith asked as he looked at Shiro.   
“Yeah. It has white stuff near the top and there are a lot of clouds that hover over the peak. My thinking was if it was snow do to the higher elevation than eventually that snow has to melt as you go lower, and the temperature rises. I just kept heading towards it but half way I stumbled upon this lake where the village was. So we kinda lucked out.” Shiro explained. He let go of Keith’s hand and continued walking, testing out the sturdiness of each boulder before he walked on it, “Despite how big these things are I found that they actually aren’t secured enough to not move. One almost rolled right out from under me the first time I walked here so let me make sure which ones are okay before you follow me okay?”  
Keith blinks and frowns a little, the feeling of guilt setting heavily on his chest, “You know, I can just test them out myself before walking on them too.”  
“Will you be able to react fast enough with your side if one of the boulders is loose?”  
“I’m not gonna just fucking jump on them.” Keith huffs and crosses his arms, his foot tapping on the ground quickly.  
Shiro blinks when he sees Keith’s body language and sighs softly, “Sorry. I know you won’t do anything silly. I just want us to get there without your injury getting worse.”  
Keith relaxes a little and carefully treads over the boulders, checking them every so often as he makes his way over to Shiro, “I know you do Shiro. And we will. And I know you are just doing your job as my lover and keeping me safe, but I’d also would like to do my job as a paladin and not be such dead weight.”  
“Keith you’re not dead weight.”  
“Well right now it certainly feels like it… I know you don’t mean to make me feel that way, but I can walk on rocks just fine on my own. I’ve been doing my best to let you know when I need you and that won’t stop so just let me do this and if I end up needing your help then I’ll let you know.” Keith leans his body against Shiro’s and wraps his arms around his waist.   
Shiro sighs softly and pulls Keith in to his own hug, “I’m sorry. I’m just really worried…”  
Keith closes his eyes for a moment before looking up at Shiro, “I know you are. And I’m trying to take it as easy as possible because I know you’re worried. Just try to trust me a little bit with my own body, okay?”  
Shiro nods and gives a gentle squeeze around Keith’s shoulders before letting go, “Understood.” He smiles and goes back to navigating the boulders.  
Keith sighed looks up at the birds still flying around in the sky before following Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith is finally catching a small break! While it may involve exploring and pushing his body it does mean farther away from the vines!


	7. Chapter 7

The walk felt longer to Keith than it should have. They took several breaks so that he could rest, much to his own displeasure. He would have preferred to keep going. To just get to the village and rest then. But Shiro had seen him stumble, and caught him in mid stumble, and with a stern reminder of the promise Keith made, they took a break.   
And then another when Shiro asked if Keith was making sure to drink water. He wasn’t. Admittedly, he had been too focused on the idea that the village could very well have actual beds.   
Their final break was after they had reached the bottom of the boulders and their feet planted back on to soft grass. Keith was thrilled to be on actual ground and not on a giant rock that could have potentially ended him.   
Shiro leaned against a boulder and took a deep breath, “One last break Keith. Then it’ll actually be a short jog.”  
“So why don’t we just keep moving? A short jog never killed anyone.” Keith looked at Shiro as he panted softly, sweat dripping down his neck. It made his suit itchy and uncomfortable.   
Shiro laughs softly and crosses his arms against his chest, “After maneuvering our way down all of these rocks my legs feel a little bit like jelly. This is a break for me just as much as it is a break for you.”   
Keith blinks and glances down at Shiro’s legs and sure enough, even under some of the plated armor he could see a slight quiver of muscle, “Alright Shiro, if you say so.” He sat down and crossed his legs, “And I’m sure we’re not actually jogging the rest of the way there, are we.” Keith stated as he looked up at Shiro.  
Shiro smiles and shakes his head, “Of course we’re not.” He pushes himself off the side of the boulder and walks over to Keith, sitting down next to the younger paladin and gently taking his hand his hand, “Just a small break and then maybe a…. five-minute walk? And then we’ll get you patched up and get some help with our lions before heading back to the castle.”  
“And we’re not bringing up the tentacle monster to ANYONE.” Keith hisses as scowls. Shiro brings Keith’s hand up to his lips and gently kisses the knuckles, “Of course not. We don’t have to tell them anything.”  
Keith blushes and watches Shiro’s lips move from his knuckles to the tips of his fingers, a blush spreading over Keith’s face, “Shiro…”  
“When we get back to the castle I’m going to drag you to my room and lock the door.” Shiro promised in a hush whisper against Keith’s skin.  
Keith grins and uses his other hand to pull Shiro closer to him, shifting so he was straddling Shiro’s lap, “Not if I fuck you when we get to the hanger first.”  
“Keith!” Shiro’s eyes were wide and he was bright red, “The OTHERS will obviously be there!!”  
“And they’ll leave once they see us making out.” Keith chuckles and places his hands on the back of Shiro’s head, trailing his fingers against the rough of Shiro’s undercut.  
Shiro wraps his arms around Keith’s waist and chuckles, “You’re incorrigible.”  
Keith smiles and licks his lips before placing them on Shiro’s, tilting his head as he feels Shiro part his own lips in the kiss.   
He clung to Shiro as if his life depended on it as their tongues swirled around each other as they explored each other’s mouths.   
Keith wished they were back in the privacy of the castle so they could go further, knowing that kissing was going to be as far as Shiro would take it as long as they were on another planet.  
He wanted more. So much more. He wanted to ride Shiro’s cock, slowly, rocking his hips and teasing the head of Shiro’s dick when he raised his hips. He wanted to hear Shiro gasp and moan and he wanted him to be rough and just take what he wanted.  
“Shiro~!” Keith moaned as he pulled away from the kiss.  
“Keith… We… we need to get going.” Shiro was bright red, trying his best to ignore his erection. Keith blinks and whines softly, “Shiro that’s so unfair…”  
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. We just can’t do this right now. It’s too… out in the open.” Shiro mutters as he gives Keith an apologetic smile. Keith sighs and pushes himself up on to his feet and holds his hand out for Shiro, “Then let’s get going.”  
Shiro takes Keith’s hand and uses the support to stand up.   
They both start walking, the sun now resting past the peak of the sky, yet no where near the horizon. In the distance, Keith could see small homes and a large plot of what looked to be farmland, a large river separating the two with several bridges back and forth.   
He smiles and looks up at Shiro, grabbing on to his hand, “It’s right there. It’s really there!” Shiro chuckles and gently squeezes Keith’s hand, “Told you we weren’t far. I’ll be glad just to see you get some proper medical attention.”  
“Do they have beds? Real beds?”  
“Yes they do Keith. With actual blankets.”  
“Fuck Shiro, I am so ready for bed.”  
  
As they enter the village Keith quickly noticed that the villagers reminded him closely of ferrets that stood at about torso high. They chatted quietly before one approached them, this one covered in silver necklaces and bracelets, “Shiro, you came back safely! And is this the one who is injured?”  
Shiro nodded and smiled politely, “Yes, Koshay, this is Keith. He’s the red paladin and my boyfriend, “ Shiro looked at Keith, “And Keith, this is Koshay. She is the leader of this village and has agreed to help us out.”   
Keith looked at her and gave a small nod, “Uh hi. Thanks for the help.”  
Koshay smiled and shook her head, “No need to thank me young one! In times of trouble it is especially important to give a lending hand when needed! Now, come in, follow me! We were told of your injuries and have prepared our beds and medicine for you! And I’m also sure you boys haven’t had anything to eat or drink, so we have that ready as well.” She hobbled over to one of the largest huts and opened the door.   
Keith felt Shiro pull him towards the home and his legs began to feel weak. He was so close to finally getting back to his normal self that he could actually feel the adrenalin that he’d been running on leave his body.   
The house was dark and dimly lit by a few candles strung around the walls. Koshay was already sitting on a plump cushion, a pile of what looked to be wet seaweed placed next to her and several more cushions and blankets piled in almost a nest like shape in front of her, “Shiro, sit over there, “ She motion to a small seating area with a small table and several chairs, steaming food already on the table, “And try to get something in your system while I work on Keith.”   
She looked at Keith and patted the ground in front of her, “Please Keith, I made a soft bed here for you since I’ll need you on your side and for you to remove your fabric covers.”  
Keith turns bright red and hesitantly looks at Shiro, “Uhhh… My clothes? All of it?”  
Shiro gently rubs Keith’s shoulder, “You only have the one piece suit so I guess so…”  
Koshay gives a sympathetic smile, “It’s quite alright dear. I just need to be able to fully examine you for any other wounds. That’s why I brought this blanket. You may use it to cover yourself and we will give you both a fresh pair of fabrics while we mend your current ones.”  
Keith groans softly and begins to carefully remove his suit, Shiro helping him when he gets close to his injury.   
He removes the last bit of his tattered clothing and sets it down before going over to the nest, “On my side, right?”  
“Yes dear.” Koshay confirms as she waits for Keith to get settled.  
Shiro sits down at the table and instead of eating immediately his eyes are stuck on Keith’s figure. The dark purple markings had spread a lot more than he first assumed. It completely covers Keith’s torso and back, starting as low as his hips and not fading until it reaches up to the collarbone. He sees Keith glance back at him, worry evident on his face. Shiro does his best to not look concerned himself, if only to give Keith some reassurance. He gulps and looks down at the plate of colorful items that are meant to be food. He can’t remember last time he ate. Before the fight with Zarkon he knew for sure. He could feel the hunger pains now that he thought about what a full stomach should feel like in comparison to his own.   
“So what is that weird green stuff? Looks slimy.” Keith’s voice cut though Shiro’s thoughts as the red paladin tried to fill the silence.  
“Ah this is a local plant that grows on the outskirts of our river where the waters are most calm. It has a weak outer layer that allows water to be easily absorbed, however when it starts to dry it becomes flexible and tough, the green floral part breaking off the web meshing that holds its shape acting as if a graft until it is absorbed itself.” Koshay’s hands were quick with undoing Shiro’s bandaging job and she calmly begins looking over the wound, “I plan on thoroughly checking this wound for any bacterial infection and after a good cleaning I shall apply a few strips of our flora to your wound. You’ll have to be wary of it tonight, but once morning comes it shall be dried and act as your new skin until your body finishes healing.”  
“My new skin? So, like, I could take a bath or something like that?”  
“Something like that, yes. Swim, exercise, fight. It will protect your wound from just about anything once the green part flakes off. Until then-“  
“Until then don’t do anything.” Keith nods and smiles. He will be able to fight. He could be patient for another night if it meant in the morning he could be back to himself.  
Koshay hummed softly as she pulled away from Keith, making sure not to move the blanket that he was using to cover his lower half, “There is a slight infection but nothing that I can’t flush out.” She turned her body one hundred and eighty degrees to grab a jar behind her. Keith and shiro’s eyes widened as they watched her body twist farther than what they were used to seeing.  
“Ah here it is. My wither’s gnaght” She turned back to face them and opened the jar that was filled with a clear goo. Keith stared at it carefully and looked back to her, “The fuck is that?”  
She blinks and looks at him, “It is a particular sap that comes from a very special tree here. A long time ago we noticed that sick animals would eat this sap and they wouldn’t die. So we tested it and what we found was that this sap has enzymes that naturally kill infectious bacteria. I’m just going to rub some on to ensure any infection you have is taken care of before wrapping it.”  
“Will-…Will it hurt?”  
“Good heavens no!” Koshay gasps as she looks at Keith, “Why on lugar would you think it would hurt?”   
Keith blinks and shrugs, “On our planet there’s this liquid we would put on our cuts and scrapes before wrapping it up and it hurt like a bitch.”  
Shiro shook his head and frowned, “Keith we can’t always assume that our planet works the same as others.”  
“I know that!” Keith huffs, “I just asked in case I had to brace myself.”  
Koshay digs her small palms into the jar, scooping out a glob of slime before smearing it on the open wound, “If something is expected to hurt then I’ll tell you, okay?”  
Keith nods and looks back at Shiro, watching as the black paladin’s eye lids drooped every now and then.  
Koshay sets the jar aside and wipes her hands. She inspects the wound closer before grabbing the strips of wet weed and begins applying it to Keith’s side.  
  
After a while Koshay packs up the remaining Withers gnaught and stands up, “It is getting late for us and I’m sure you two are tired. Down the hall is a room that should be adequate for sleeping and my maids have informed me that clothing that has been tailored to your sizes have been placed in the room as well. Please, help yourself to the food on the table, the water in the cold chamber, and get as much rest as possible. We can further discuss how we can help you two in the morning.”  
Keith looks up from the chair he had been sitting on, still wrapped securely in the blanket, “Are you sure you don’t want to talk now?”  
Koshay smiles and tilts her head, “I’m sure you two want some alone time and besides, it looks as if your paladin is about to pass out.” She teases.   
Keith looks back over to Shiro to see his head dipping lower every so often, his eyes fluttering open and shut as he fights the need to sleep.  
“Oh geez Shiro…” Keith mutters as he sets down the food he was eating, “Um alright. Well, thank you very much Koshay for doing all of this for us.”  
“Again, no need to thank me at all.” She smiles before leaving.  
  
Keith waits until he hears the door fully close before dropping the blanket and placing a hand on Shiro’s shoulder, shaking him gently, “Shiro.”  
“Nnngg ‘M awake…” was the soft slurred words that tumbled out of Shiro’s mouth. Keith chuckles and helps Shiro to his feet, heading to the room that Koshay mentioned. The room was average, and the bed was large and true to her word, two neat piles of clothing were laying on the bed.  
After getting both he and Shiro changed, he helped Shiro in to bed before climbing in and snuggling close to Shiro.   
They were finally getting somewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my gosh you guys I never expected to have so many kudos' and hits! haha thank you so much! And I just want to let you guys know that I see and read your guys' comments too. They are all so kind and I wish I could reply to them all but most of the time I am at work when I check the inbox so I can't really reply. BUT i do see them and it really does make me happy to read them all! Thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone I finally got time to update!! Sorry for the wait, work has been getting pretty hectic now that we are exiting the slow season. BUT I am not done here. Still got a few more chapters before the end!

Shiro’s eyes fluttered open, the room he vaguely remembered still shrouded in darkness. He shifted, making note of the curtains that covered what he assumed to be a window must be the reason for the lack of light.  
  
He hoped anyway.  
  
He could’ve also slept for a mere hour or so or slept for a whole day and just so happened to wake up at night.  
Considering how well rested he genuinely felt he assumed it would be the latter.  
He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. Keith wasn’t in bed with him. He recalled being just awake enough for Keith to help him in to bed before passing out.  
Shiro hadn’t met to fall asleep. He never was good at staying asleep, however the past few days on this planet he barely slept at all, his anxiety over Keith and being stranded on this planet kept him all too wired to even keep his eyes closed.  
So last night, with Keith receiving proper help and the food, water, and clean clothes, Shiro finally felt okay enough that his body crashed.  
He glanced around the room, frowning when there was no sign of Keith at all. He gently pushed himself out of bed and walked over to the curtains, lifting the ends up slightly, revealing rays of sunlight.  
“At least I didn’t sleep the day away…” he muttered softly, leaving the bedroom and walking down the hallway. The sight of fresh fruit, or what he assumed was fruit, on the table made his mouth water and he helped himself to a few before taking a hesitant step outside. Keith was no where inside so the only logical explanation was that he was somewhere in the village exploring.  
Shiro walked over to a young villager and smiled, “Hey there, sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had seen my friend today? He has black hair and is slightly shorter than me.”  
The villager blinks before smiling, “Oh he’s with the chief under the brhazker!”  
Shiro is thankful when she turns and points to a large tree that sits at the top of a hill, looming over the village, “Ah I see. Thank you very much!”  
It doesn’t take Shiro long to walk over to the hill and climb up it, feeling satisfied already as he hears Keith’s voice.  
  
“-explains a lot.”  
“Yes it does! At first I was quite worried for him but if this is normal then I shall not.” Koshay’s voice was as chipper as ever. Shiro couldn’t help but smile as he caught sight of Keith with a crown made from flowers resting on top of his head as he sat up against the large tree, Koshay sitting cross legged next to him, “Good morning you two!”  
Keith looks up at Shiro and smirks, “Morning? We’re past that now Shiro.”  
“Oh? How long have I been asleep for?”  
“Way too long bud. Like, I tried to wake you when the sun came up, but you were so tired that I decided to just close the curtains and head out.” Keith idly fidgets with some of the planets grass, his eyes glancing down at the soil, “I’ve been talking to Koshay, and we have both figured out that in relative to planet earth, this planet is roughly half the size and circles around a much larger sun than ours.”  
Koshay eagerly nods her head and pats at the ground next to her, inviting Shiro to join them, “Yes Shiro! It’s quite a relief to hear that you were partaking in a normal sleep schedule for your planet! I was quite fearful for your health.”  
Shiro sits down with them and smiles at Keith, his eyes flicking to the flower crown, “So how long do your days usually last then?”  
The blush that spreads over Keith’s cheeks as he reaches for the crown and hesitantly removes it nearly causes Shiro to miss Koshay’s part of the conversation.  
“-explained what an earth hour is we both figured it was half as well.” Koshay plucked more flowers and began weaving the stems together. Keith looks at Shiro, “We’ve been experiencing a twelve-hour cycle. Roughly. Apparently, this planet is also in the midst of longer days as well so you and I both are probably going to need some major naps when we get back on to the castle.”  
Shiro was quick to notice the cautious glance that Koshay gave Keith and while he couldn’t seem to understand why, he wanted to direct her focus somewhere else, “So Koshay,” Shiro watched her tiny hands fiddle with the stems, “I’ve been meaning to ask you more about your planet. It’s so beautiful and peaceful here.”  
“Oh~ Why certainly Shiro,” Koshay turned to face Shiro, her smile growing warmer, “Lugar has always been a peaceful planet as far back as I can remember. We live along-side our planet and when we take from her then she will take from us. Such is our cycle.”  
Shiro blinks and frowns, “Your planet takes from you? How?”  
“I’m sure you have noticed the vines, correct?”  
She looks between Shiro and Keith, the red paladin turning pale before scowling, “Uh yeah. Actually, that’s one of things I wanted to talk about. It attacked me.”  
Koshay simply shakes her head, “Lugar does not attack. She feeds but does not attack.”  
“Feeds? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? I was asleep when that disgusting thing was slithering around in my suit!” Keith’s voice rose as his tone became sharp. Shiro wasn’t sure why the mood soured so fast, but he quickly came to terms with it as he digested what Koshay had stated, “Wait- Koshay…. The vines… ARE in fact the planet?”  
She nodded and gently placed her finished flower crown on top of her head, “Why yes of course, Shiro~! And I must apologize Keith. She must have been curious as to the new guests whom crashed in to her. She obviously does not have eyes to see.” Koshay turns to look at Keith and frowns, “We are a very caring village and our planet only knows love. Please accept our apology.”  
Keith’s scowl softens but doesn’t go away completely. He huffs and brings his knees up to his chest, “as…. As long as it doesn’t happen again…” Shiro gently places his hand on Keith’s shoulder and gives it a squeeze, “Keith, I’m sorry I doubted you when you were attacked.”  
“It’s okay Shiro.” Keith smiles at Shiro and scoots closer to him, “Admittedly I would not have believed it either if it hadn’t happened to me.”  
“And it won’t happen again, “ Shiro states before looking at Koshay, “Right Koshay?”  
“Yes Shiro. No more curious touching from Lugar.” Koshay confirms.  
  
A gentle breeze wafts a sweet flowery scent and all three of them sighed, smiling and closing their eyes.  
Koshay clears her throat and begins twiddling her thumbs, “You know…” She starts to speak, her voice timid as both boys turned and looked at her, “I am more than happy to assist you both in leaving if your friends don’t come for you first, but I do hope you consider our planet a nice place to stay. It’s been so long since our planet has had guests, we’ll miss having you around.” Shiro frowns and sighs, “Koshay, as nice as that sounds, you know that as paladins of Voltron we can’t stay. We can always visit but it will probably be after we defeat Zarkon and the other galra.”  
“But why fight them at all? The galra aren’t that bad.” Koshay frowns.  
Keith blinks before glaring at her, “The galra aren’t that bad? They have killed and captured possibly millions of innocent people, take over other planets, and believe that they are the only race that matters! I’m surprised they haven’t discovered this planet yet.”  
“But they have! They were the last ones to visit this planet and they loved it here! We loved having them here and we miss them dearly.”  
Both Shiro and Keith look at her, eyebrows raised in disbelief although it’s Keith that speaks up first, “The galra have been here? And they didn’t kill anyone? Really? I find that hard to believe. Are you sure they were galra? Large, furry, purple, cat ears, yellow eyes?”  
Koshay blinks and huffs, “Not all galra all look the same. I figured you of all people would know that considering you’re one too.”  
Shiro’s eyes widened and he looks at Keith, “What?”  
“Yeah, no, I’m human Koshay. Born and raised on earth.” Keith crossed his arms, obviously not amused. Koshay shakes her head and points to Keith’s body, “You’re covered in purple and Lugar has recognized your quintessence as part galran and another part is what im assuming is human like Shiro.”  
Both boys were quiet for what felt like hours before Shiro slowly glanced at Keith.  
Keith shook slightly and he was turning slightly green, “You- …you’re kidding right? Right? That’s not true. That can’t be true. I was-….”  
Koshay blinks and frowns, “Oh- oh dear you didn’t know? Oh no I am so sorry I meant no harm! I just thought you knew! You were covered in the purple and you weren’t panicking so I just assumed-“ She couldn’t finish her sentence before Keith stood up abruptly and ran back to the house.  
Shiro watched Keith go and he looks at Koshay, “I’ll go after him in a minute. If I go now he will just go in to more of a panic. Now, tell me how you are so sure that he really is part galra.”  
Koshay nods, “Well, as you know Lugar gives us quintessence and takes quintessence as it needs. She is able to transfer it as she sees fit. Every type of race has their own special quintessence and if she has taken that type then she remembers it. It’s just part of your dna. Galra have a high amount of quintessence, higher than other species by default. Which is probably why she felt inclined to explore Keith to begin with. Has he… never had that purple before?”  
“No. It only started after he got injured. It just keeps spreading and we had no idea why.”  
“Has he ever been that seriously injured before?”  
“Unfortunately yes, but only ever since we started being paladins of Voltron. He’s never been this hurt on earth.”  
“He’s been hurt like this before?”  
“Well… Yeah. There were a few missions, but he gets put in to the altean healing pods for a few hours and then he’s all better.”  
“….That might be the reason. If he had been seriously injured, but was healed that quickly with help, then his body wouldn’t naturally heal itself with the help of his galran half. But because he had been badly injured and needed to heal faster than what a human’s body is capable of, his galran half kicked in and did what needed to be done.”

Shiro listens intently to Koshay’s explanation and rubs the back of his head, “So the purple is growing because he is still healing?”  
“…possibly. It is slowing down from the looks of it, so he must have had an infection that is taking a little while to fully get it out of his system. I’m not entirely sure though. I really must apologize again. I truly thought you two knew since you both seemed so calm about it.”  
“Well…admittedly we both were concerned, but we knew freaking out about it was not going to help our current situation at the time.” Shiro gets up and dusts himself off, “Now, I’m going to go check on Keith now that he’s had a little bit to think about whatever is going through his head. I’ll let him know you are sorry okay? We’ll talk later.”  
  
Koshay bid Shiro farewell and stayed under the tree while Shiro walked back to the house. He stepped in through the front door, listening softly, “Keith?”  
Hearing no response from the other man, Shiro started walking towards the bedroom, the sounds of sniffling growing louder, “Keith?”


End file.
